Recruited?
by Scarletfern
Summary: AU set after 2x22. If Jake Keaton is one thing, it's persistent. If Tasha Zapata is one thing, it's loyal. She may not agree with everything Weller does, but she will not leave her FBI family for the CIA. She'd rather swallow a hornet's nest. "No" means no, right? Until it's no longer an option...
1. Chapter 1

**I'm suffering a bit of writer's block as far as "Nightmare" goes. Hopefully, writing this will help me snap out of it, and both should be updated soon, but after that I don't know. I have completely ignored my summer assignment for English and it's like 60 pages or something.** **(Curse those evil 10** **th** **-grade teachers….)**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Blindspot or any of these characters.**

 **…**

Tasha Zapata would rather swallow a hornet's nest than join the CIA. Or at least that's what she had made perfectly clear to Jake Keaton. Sure, she'd had thoughts of leaving. They all had. In the case of Reade, the leaving part had just come before the thinking part. In the case of Patterson, the leaving had come after too much of the thinking. But they'd both come back.

Reade had gone on to Quantico, since his transfer had already gone through. Within two weeks, he had transferred back. She'd been delighted. His replacement had been insufferable.

Patterson's exit, however, hadn't been quite as graceful.

She could remember it clearly. _She and Jane were slinking through the abandoned warehouse, in search of the final suspect in a trafficking case. One. One suspect, not four. But four armed gunmen were exactly what had been waiting for them in the shadows. They hadn't known in time. All they'd heard was a shocked gasp through the comms before Patterson had gone deathly silent. They'd had time to exchange a confused glance before asking in unison "Patterson?" And then all of hell had broken loose._

 _Patterson had suddenly returned over the comms, "Guys, watch out! Four, to your left, Jane!" They had both whipped around, disabling three of the suspects. They hadn't anticipated the grenade that the fourth possessed, but Patterson had managed to choke out a warning in time for them to run, saving their lives again. It hadn't spared Jane from getting a concussion though._

 _Weller loudly demanded an immediate explanation, but Patterson wasn't there to give it. When they got back, she was with Dr. Sun, who had later given the explanation that Weller demanded._

 _In her terror for the team, she had become too stressed and the anxiety had transported her back to another stressful situation, which had caused her mind to recognize one of the suspects as Borden. Or something like that, anyway._

 _In reality, none of the suspects even closely resembled him, but, for lack of a better definition, Patterson was paranoid. In fact, when they had finally hunted her down, she had clung to the two of them and started sobbing. She thoroughly blamed herself, even if they didn't._

 _Weller was less forgiving. His fiancé could have_ _ **died**_ _. And he'd made sure that Patterson knew it. Jane (who had refused to be admitted to the hospital) dragged him off before he could say anything to her that he would truly regret later on and he had apologized after Jane had made him listen to Dr. Sun, but it hadn't mattered._

 _The next morning, she had tearfully gone to Weller's office with her resignation, explaining that if her private fears interfered to the point of rendering her useless and endangering the team, then she wouldn't be able to do her job anymore. Weller argued loudly with her before ripping up the resignation letter. He refused to accept her badge and gun, saying "Take a break. You've been through too much for it not to affect you. Go somewhere else for a few months, take a leave of absence. When you come back, we'll talk."_

 _She left and was back two days later, unable to stay away any longer. Weller had had to_ _ **force**_ _her to go elsewhere for her own good, and, at the suggestion of Dr. Sun, dragged her from the building to her car, saying that she had to take a vacation for_ _ **at least**_ _two weeks, or else he would personally cuff her and put her in a holding cell with only Rich DotCom for company. Exactly fourteen days later, she was back in her lab and nothing more was said about it._

Soon after both Reade and Patterson were back and it became clear that neither had any other intentions of leaving, Jane left to start at Quantico so she would be able to continue working with them. Tasha tried to convince herself that this was good news. But it was difficult.

It wasn't that she didn't trust her - Tasha trusted Jane with her life – but she still held reservations after the whole mess with Roman. She hadn't had a shot, that was what the report said. _Bull shit. She let him get away._ She could tell. Jane was like an open book when it came to her brother.

But still, Jane Weller was one hell of an agent and one of her best friends. Nothing would change that. Still, she couldn't help but wonder…

 _No. It doesn't matter. The FBI may not be the most effective, but at least we're humane. The CIA gets results, but they take things_ _ **too**_ _far. And we_ _ **do**_ _get results, just not as quickly._

That was what she told herself in the beginning, a little doubtfully at first, but soon she came to realize that it was true. She was FBI, through and through. Nothing could change that. And Jane, well, that just proof of how loyal she was.

 _To her brother._ The voice in her head told her.

 _Shut up. She's loyal to us, too._

 _If it came between all of you and him, who would she pick?_

With a jolt, she realized that she didn't know. But then she thought back to all of the times that Jane had saved the rest of them from her crazy family. If it came down to it, she would protect the team.

Jane Weller was trustworthy. Jake Keaton was not. No matter how hard he pressed, she would never join him and his mangy pack of rats. Ever.

And then, Jane disappeared. And everything went to hell.

 **…**

 **So, should I continue? Obviously "Nightmare" takes priority (after the English homework), since I've been working on it longer, but I wanted to do something to alternate it with, so I don't get bored. Or something like that, anyway.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Blindspot or any of these characters.**

 **…**

Jane had been gone for over a month. Weller was impossible to talk to. Patterson stayed in her lab night and day, tracking down false leads that led nowhere. Tasha and Reade looked all over the city. It was hopeless. She was gone.

After three weeks, the search had basically been unofficially called off. An anonymous source had sent them security footage that showed her in a Dublin, Ireland airport with an unknown man. She seemed to be going willingly and extensive testing had shown that the footage was authentic.

That had been good enough for Hirst. She'd decided it was simply a case of infidelity. They all knew that wasn't it. Jane would never abandon Weller for another guy. They were made for each other; a blind man could see it.

It didn't seem to matter. Over time, agents were reassigned and it wasn't long before they were the only ones still working on it, stubbornly refusing to give up on one of their own. Hirst pitied them and allowed them to continue, foolishly thinking that they'd give it up after a few weeks.

Every lead was a dead end. Almost every day it seemed, Patterson found something that looked promising, and then it turned out to be a faked trail. Hidden bank accounts, cell phone pings, and sightings from unsubstantial sources sent them scrambling around the globe. Someone was toying with them and Zapata knew it wasn't Jane. Jane wouldn't torture them. She would just disappear quietly and without a trace, if that was what she was going to do. Really though, there wasn't a good reason for her to leave in the first place. Something else was going on and she'd be damned if she didn't figure it out.

 **…**

Around two months after Jane's disappearance, Patterson ran into Weller's office, where the rest of the team was.

"Did you find anything?" He asked her hopefully.

"I think I found _her!_ " Patterson gasped, out of breath.

Weller jumped up. "Where?"

"Here! In New York! It's a motel in Queens; I'll text you the address, hurry! Go! Now!"

He scrambled for his keys and then darted out the door, Reade and Zapata on his heels.

Hirst gave them a sympathetic look on their way out, but they didn't notice her.

They probably should have thought it out before running off, but there wasn't time. Of the few reliable leads they had gotten, she always disappeared within minutes of their arrival. They couldn't miss her, not again. Not when she was this close.

When they got there, they split up to search the rooms. It was a mistake.

Just as Zapata and Weller went to check the last room, a large explosion sounded outside. The SUV had blown apart and was in flames, smoke billowing out of the windows, melted from the blaze.

Then, Weller's phone buzzed. He yanked it out, expecting Patterson. But it was a text from an unknown number.

It read _'_ _Close, but not close enough. Better luck next time.'_

As soon as Weller had read it, they had looked around, knowing that it was hopeless. This wasn't Jane, it was someone else. Someone whose agenda seemed to be distracting them from finding Jane's real location.

Then, Zapata's phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Tasha Zapata." A robotic buzz disguised the speaker's voice.

"Who is this?" She demanded sharply, an icy bite to her voice.

The speaker ignored her. "You're missing someone." They pointed out, before hanging up with a decisive click.

"No…" She mumbled, her voice numb as realization hit her. The explosion wasn't a warning, it was a smokescreen. For an abduction.

"Reade! Reade! READE!" She began calling frantically.

"He's gone." Weller growled into the comms after they checked the motel grounds and the woods behind them.

"You don't think he was…" Patterson broke off. Zapata stared at the charred rubble of the SUV, her throat tightening.

"No… the ones that took Jane. They must've taken him too."

 **…**

Patterson shivered slightly in the cold night air, her footsteps quickening.

 _This was a bad idea. I shouldn't have come. I knew better than to do this. I should've waited…_

 _…_ _But they just want money, right?_ She had the transfer ready on her phone. The source had been clear.

 _"_ _I've got the locations of both your friends, but there's a price. Come alone; be ready to wire the money."_ They had said.

And the money didn't matter, nor did the risk, not if it got them Jane and Reade back. Right?

 _No, of course it doesn't matter. But this was reckless and stupid. I need to get out of here. Now._

She turned to go back to her car. But it was too late. She ran straight into him. A flash of recognition flitted across her face before pure terror took over. A tranq dart hit her in the back of her neck. The first man picked her up and carried her to a waiting van. Her cell phone slipped from her fingers.

The second glanced around quickly before scooping it up. With a few taps, her entire account was wiped clean. The first called for him and he jumped guiltily. Flinging the cell phone into some nearby bushes, he jogged back to the vehicle.

Within a few seconds, they had vanished into the inky darkness.

Three, gone without a trace.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Blindspot or any of these characters**

 **…**

Patterson came around slowly to the sound of car tires humming on the road. She was blindfolded, bound with zip ties, and gagged with duct tape. Her head hurt and she couldn't remember where she was or why. The only thing she knew was that she had to get away – fast.

She began to move around; fighting against the zip ties, but all she succeeded in doing was slipping the blindfold off. Looking around blearily, she realized that she was in the back of a van. Other than that, she knew nothing. The drugs in her system were making her sleepy and disoriented.

 _I need to get away from here._ She reminded herself, beginning to comprehend the danger of the situation.

Desperate to escape, she started to attack the plastic bands, pulling, prying, yanking, and twisting – nothing worked. All she succeeded in doing was cutting and bruising her bloodied wrists even further.

Suddenly, the van swerved sharply and she crashed into the side door. Wherever they were going, they had to be close. She had to have been unconscious for at least half an hour. It was time to make her move. She had to get that door open.

And zip tied or not, she was determined. It took some doing, but she did manage to maneuver her hands to the door handle, grasping it with her fingers, yanking it open to expose a sliver of shadowy night sky. She must've been out longer than she'd thought - they'd left the city behind long ago.

Pushing the door farther open with her shoulder, she heard a shout and jumped, pushing away any hesitation that she would've have if she had stopped to consider how quickly the pavement was flying by.

She landed hard on the asphalt, hearing a sharp _snap._ With a sinking feeling, she realized that her ankle wouldn't support her anymore. She couldn't get up.

Screeching tires signified the kidnappers' return and, in a desperate bid for escape, she began to drag herself towards the overgrown ditch. If she'd had more time, she could've hidden in the grass and she _might_ have gotten away.

But she didn't have more time.

 **…**

Reade was propped against the wall in his cell, drifting in and out of consciousness. The torture was brutal. They've had him for a week and the entire time, he's only figured out that they have something to do with C.O.G.S., the Continuation of Government Subcommittee that had been part of Shepherd's shadow government. He'd asked if they were still working for her though, and they'd laughed in his face.

 _"_ _Shepherd? We don't need her anymore. We have other plans."_

Plans that included Jane. Or seemed to anyway.

During the daily torture sessions, they asked only three different questions.

 _"_ _What is Jane Weller's current location?"_

 _"_ _What do you know about Remy's plans?"_

 _"_ _Where is the last place you saw her?"_

He didn't have the answers that they wanted, but even if he did, he wouldn't tell them. One thing was clear though. Jane was in serious trouble.

His mind jumped back to present when a metallic clanging alerted him to the oncoming approach of his kidnappers. It didn't seem like it was time for another torture session; they usually left him alone for the night and he always found himself pathetically grateful for the break.

The first one comes into view, carrying something. He looks at them with resignation in his eyes, expecting to be dragged from the cell for more of their brutal interrogations. Instead, something is heavily dropped in the corner, hitting the concrete floor with an agonized moan. A light is flicked on, and he sees that the something is a person. A person he recognizes instantly – _Patterson!_

He cringes when he sees her swollen ankle. It's twisted to the side and definitely broken.

The kidnappers turn and leave the cell, locking the door behind them. Reade shoots a glare at the closed door before scrambling over to Patterson's side. She needs help and these people clearly aren't going to give it.

There's only one thing to do. Escape.

But escape is impossible. He knows. He's tried.

 **…**

"Tasha Zapata next, I presume?"

"No. I have something else planned for her. Just tell the others that I'm taking care of it."

"You're still trying to recruit her, aren't you?" It wasn't a question.

"This will ruin the plan."

"We can still make it look like an abduction. But if I can get her to trust me, once I tell her Hirst is corrupt and she finds their bodies with the Intel that I provide, she'll have no desire to return to the FBI. And by then, her loyalty will lie with us, not them."

"You know what will happen if she finds out that we did it? And didn't you say that we needed those two alive?"

"She won't find out. And I don't think that Jane will take much longer to show herself once Agent Zapata is taken off the grid."

"Fine. Do as you see fit. But I still think you're playing with fire."


End file.
